From Long Jump to Leap of Faith: Starting Solo and Scaling Smart w/ Neil Cameron of Sport Works

Summary

Neil Cameron’s entrepreneurial path began on a beach in Australia, sparked by a realization that his dream of a professional athletics career was no longer viable. From that moment, he channeled his competitive spirit and deep passion for sports into creating Sportworks, a social enterprise dedicated to improving access to sport for disadvantaged communities. What followed was a 16-year journey marked by bootstrapped beginnings, brutal burnout, bold pivots, and a relentless pursuit of building businesses that reflect his strengths.

In this episode, Neil walks us through the founding and scaling of Sportworks, a key contract that enabled him to build a team, and the painful but pivotal lesson that he wasn’t cut out for day-to-day people management. That insight drove one of his biggest bets—hiring a managing director early—which eventually unlocked the company’s growth and allowed him to pursue a parallel real estate portfolio, including the development of a hotel. Neil shares candid stories of failure, misjudged hires, and narrowly avoiding financial ruin, along with the insights that helped him grow through it.

At the core of Neil’s philosophy is self-awareness: knowing where you add the most value, building around your blind spots, and refusing to go it alone. His story is not only a reminder that entrepreneurship is a team sport, but also a practical guide for anyone learning to scale with intention, lead without burning out, and pay themselves—both financially and emotionally—first.

Takeaways

1. Entrepreneurship often starts with a question. Neil’s journey began not with a business degree, but with a moment of reflection and a desire for autonomy after his sports career ended.
2. The emotional volatility is real. Highs and lows can happen in the same day. Learning to find a middle ground is crucial for sustainability.
3. Start with who you know. Neil launched Sportworks by leveraging a handful of personal contacts, proving the power of your existing network.
4. Bootstrapping teaches discipline. With just £5,000, Neil built his first business by selling his own time and avoiding unnecessary costs.
5. Listening beats guessing. Close conversations with potential customers helped Neil fine-tune his offer and build momentum.
6. Your first big contract is a turning point. A local government contract not only validated his model but forced Neil to build a team and scale.
7. Hiring is hard—and critical. It took four attempts to find the right managing director, but doing so freed Neil to focus on strategic growth.
8. Promote from within. Neil learned that hiring internally often preserves culture better than bringing in outsiders with impressive CVs.
9. Pay yourself first. Skipping your own paycheck leads to burnout and resentment—prioritize your own health and fulfillment.
10. Big bets can backfire if you’re not ready. His hotel project nearly tanked all his businesses; boldness must be balanced with preparation.

Chapters

• [00:01] From failed athlete to accidental entrepreneur
  • Neil shares how a career-ending injury and a beach in Australia sparked his first business idea in the sports sector.
• [02:04] The detour into employment and return to the dream
  • Initially talked out of it by his mother, Neil worked a job he hated before redundancy gave him the excuse to launch.
• [03:47] Going solo: the pros and cons
  • Why Neil started his business alone, and why he’d now do it differently with a co-founder.
• [06:06] The emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship
  • Surprises included the rapid swings in emotional highs and lows, especially early on.
• [08:16] Bootstrapping with £5,000 and no overhead
  • Neil explains how he got started with minimal capital, selling his time as the product.
• [09:23] Why real estate was a softer landing into raising capital
  • Neil describes shifting into property development and why it was his first structured foray into funding.
• [10:55] Finding your customers by getting close
  • Direct conversations, not surveys or guesswork, helped Neil secure early contracts and product-market fit.
• [13:27] Momentum through validation and referrals
  • Word of mouth and a pivotal government contract enabled Neil to expand and hire.
• [16:12] Building a team: the first critical hires
  • His first five team members came from an open university recruitment day focused on passion over polish.
• [18:07] Differentiating through human connection
  • Neil’s personal service and reliability stood out more than pricing ever could.
• [22:39] The risky bet that changed everything
  • Hiring a managing director early on was costly and fraught with missteps—but it allowed Neil to grow.
• [27:28] Preserving culture as you scale
  • Neil eventually realized that promoting from within was the best way to maintain values.
• [30:10] A gospel truth: pay yourself first
  • He learned the hard way that deprioritizing your own well-being can lead to burnout and disengagement.
• [33:05] The near-fatal hotel bet
  • Buying and launching a hotel stretched Neil’s resources and nearly wiped him out.
• [35:01] Questions founders ask—and should ask
  • Many ask how to hire, but few ask: what am I best at, and how do I build around that?
• [37:22] The dream team, if he started over
  • Neil would immediately bring the right people around the table to protect his time and energy.
• [38:41] Book that changed the game: E-Myth by Michael Gerber
  • Helped Neil understand the roles in a business and how to build systems around them.